Thursday, July 28, 2011

ARgh!

One of the main reasons I'm leaving the school district I've been in for the last five years is because I was tired of being screwed over (and around). I had had enough of being told one thing and another thing happening. It was constant and it was draining. Exhausting, really.

I thought this new district would be different.

I received my contract in the mail on Wednesday. In it were two papers - one saying that I needed to return it by Thursday, the other saying that they misquoted my salary and they were sorry. The new amount? Almost two THOUSAND dollars less.

I emailed the HR lady (who is very nice) and asked that I be given until Friday to get the contract signed and returned, as I am teaching summer school and needed time to look it over. She agreed and this morning I took some time to look it over.

I ended up with four pretty big issues/questions about the contract. Not the least of which is that the pay scale in the contract is different from the single page pay scale they are using to quote me my salary. I'd like to THINK that this was just a mistake, but I'm worried that they are pulling an East Millinocket tactic - the old bait-and-switch.

I'm sick to my stomach that this place may in fact be no better than the last place. I'm trying to hard to keep from making any snap judgments, but I've got a bad feeling about this.

Sigh.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Getting On With It

This week and last I have been teaching summer school at my new district. I'm driving there and back each day (two hour drives both ways), but it's good money and good weather so I don't mind so much. The kids have actually been pretty excellent, with one exception. That exception broke her tailbone last weekend, so perhaps Karma helped me out a bit there.

Now that I'm down here every day, I've begun the search for living accommodations. I have a picture in my head of what life will be like down here and I'm hoping to find something that resembles that picture at least a little bit.

Ideally I'd like something in the actual town the school is in, thus making my commute short. The shorter the better, in my opinion. I don't want to be away from home AND have a big gas bill anyway. And since we're speaking of ideal, I'd like to rent a house instead of an apartment - I really like my quiet time.

I do, however, own a dog and have a husband, both of whom will be visiting me a couple of weekends a month. This is proving complicating since many of the places that are available say no pets. I'm hoping my wit and charm will grant me an exception.

I have all of August to myself as far as summer vacation goes. I'll be doing a lot of work for the fiber and yarn business so that I can give myself a couple of weeks to get situated down here. I will also be snorgling the hubs, cats, and dog to store up for the weeks I'll be away from home. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how this situation will turn out. I'm hoping that it will be better than expected, rather than worse.

Wish me luck. I'll post pics of the place I'll be renting once I have them.

Friday, July 01, 2011

Decisions

The last time I posted, there were changes coming and decisions to be made. Well, change came - and Bear and I did make some decisions. They haven't been announced to everyone yet, but the blog is a pretty safe place to start since like three people read it.

I have accepted a teaching position in a coastal high school. It is just about two hours away from home, so I will be looking for a place to rent down there. I will stay down there during the week, and come home on weekends and vacations. Some weekends, Bear and Jackson will be coming down to see me so we can all explore the coast and Bear can get out of town.

This situation isn't ideal. Since we became a couple, Bear and I haven't spent a night apart. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary yesterday, and have been together almost six years. That's a long time, and that change will be the hardest to handle. It's already affecting us, and I haven't even left yet. I know that Bear, especially, will feel this separation, as he won't have things to keep him busy at night (I have the yarn business to occupy the hours between school and sleep). We will have Skype and cell phones, of course, but that's really not the same. I know Bear will worry about me - it's what he does - and I've never been one to handle being on my own very well.

However, there are some really good things coming from this change. The district I'm joining is ridiculously excited to have me. They offered me the position about five hours after my interview, which is a record for me. I joined the staff yesterday for a professional development day so I could meet with the staff coaches and English chair, and everyone was *SO* nice. I think I can be happy there, professionally. They are a staff that is willing to work and change and collaborate; these are traits that I have not had in co-workers before. There are also opportunities to make extra money. I was in the building about five minutes before they offered me a summer school position that pays $27.50 an HOUR and I'd get paid for five hours a day and work only four. Even if I drive two hours both ways I'm still making good money. I haven't made up my mind, but I am thinking about it.

The best thing about this job is the knowledge that I'll be making a step towards our dreams. We've wanted to be on the coast for a long time. There has never been any forward progress on that dream. By making the tough choice we are actually going to move in the direction of our dreams. And that, is a very cool thing.